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<\/center>\nScott Jeppesen \u2013 <\/strong>El Guapo<\/strong><\/em>
\nThe title and cover art telegraph a Spanish flavor to the proceedings, but once you get to the CD, what you find instead is accessible, straightforward jazz. Jeppesen plays various saxophones and bass clarinet, and is backed by a quartet (guitar, keys, bass, drums), plus trumpet and flugelhorn on two tracks. The Spanish flavor does indeed crop up, but not on the title track; instead it’s on the mellow acoustic guitar and alto sax outing \u201cElm.\u201d Occasionally veering perilously close to lite jazz (if not Kenny G<\/strong>-styled fuzak), it’s redeemed by cuts like the adventurous \u201cGreat Odin’s Raven.\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/center>\nWide Hive Players \u2013 <\/strong>Turnstyle<\/strong><\/em>
\nEffectively the \u201chouse band\u201d For the Wide Hive label run by Greg Howe<\/strong> (who also writes, engineers and plays B3), on this disc the band also includes ace guitarist Calvin Keys<\/strong><\/a>. While the WHP often engages in soul-jazz, they’re adept at styles beyond that: the well-named \u201cAll the Wrong Notes\u201d has shades of a small-band take on Frank Zappa<\/strong><\/a>‘s \u201cMusic for Guitar and Low Budget Orchestra.\u201d In some ways, Turnstyle<\/em> sounds like a sampler of the group’s range, a sort of \u201chey, hotshot players: we can back you on whatever kind of music you wanna make.\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/center>\nKenny Garrett \u2013 <\/strong>Pushing the World Away<\/strong><\/em>
\nTraditionalists of the sort who enjoy bop and post-bop will want to know about the latest from the alt\/soprano sax player. Full of nods to influences (Chick Corea<\/strong><\/a>, Sonny Rollins<\/strong><\/a> and others), the album still manages to sound contemporary. Dissonant piano, abstract melodic lines, odd, murky time signatures and atmospheric blowing are all hallmarks of this release. Taking a page from the bop greats of years past, Garrett uses a standard (Burt Bacharach<\/strong>‘s \u201cI Say a Little Prayer\u201d) as a musical launching pad. He plays it straighter than some of his forebears might have, but it remains a highlight.<\/p>\n
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<\/center>\nWarren Wolf \u2013 <\/strong>Wolfgang<\/strong><\/em>
\nWolf’s mellifluous, buttery vibraphone is the centerpiece of this nine-track album, containing six originals and three interpretations. While Wolf’s compositions are sturdy and enjoyable, he really seems to shine when freed from the responsibility of writing the tune: his work on the bluesy \u201cFrankie and Johnny\u201d is a standout on an already consistent engaging album. Still, his breakneck-paced mallet work (plus backing by ace players) on \u201cGrand Central\u201d evokes the hectic, nonstop pace of its transit hub namesake. From the meditative title track to the yearning, cello-centric \u201cAnnoyance,\u201d this is a varied and lovely collection of songs.<\/p>\n
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<\/center>\nJim Clayton \u2013 <\/strong>Songs My Daughter Knows<\/strong><\/em>
\nWhat a delightful album concept: collect ten songs that your toddler recognizes \u2013 from hearing them on the stereo, in the car, or on television \u2013 and build your own versions of those tunes. That’s what Clayton has done here, and the results are a delight. Hewing close enough to the core melodies so that his daughter will recognize the tunes, Clayton (on piano) leads a relatively minimal backing group through the songs. You’ll find standards (\u201cAutumn Leaves\u201d) and TV themes (\u201cThe West Wing\u201d) alongside songs that will be mostly familiar to kids and their youngish parents (\u201cThe Rainbow Connection\u201d).<\/p>\n
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